Mayo Pickens, a 47-year-old resident of Anderson, was sentenced on May 8 to nearly 15 years in federal prison for trafficking cocaine.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address drug trafficking and related crimes in the community. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina manages criminal prosecutions and civil cases for the federal government across the state, according to the official website.
According to court documents, investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Anderson County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Pickens’s home on June 26, 2025. Authorities discovered about 76 kilograms of cocaine, multiple firearms including pistols and a rifle, and seized more than $75,000 in cash. Pickens was arrested while driving his vehicle with a loaded revolver. Investigators determined that he was also responsible for an additional 24 kilograms of cocaine intended for distribution.
Pickens had previously served a sentence of over 24 years following convictions on conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and money laundering charges before being released from federal custody in 2021. United States District Judge Jacquelyn D. Austin sentenced him to serve another term of imprisonment—176 months—followed by five years of supervised release without parole under federal guidelines.
The investigation involved cooperation between local law enforcement and federal agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Lea Schoen is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office operates statewide from offices located in Columbia, Charleston, Florence and Greenville with a team of about 120 prosecutors and support professionals handling both criminal prosecutions and civil litigation matters on behalf of victims and taxpayers throughout South Carolina, according to the official website.
